Search narrowing of ship that hit fishermen`s boat

Thiruvananthapuram: Efforts continued on Friday
to identify the ship that rammed into a fishing boat off
Kerala coast causing the death of two fishermen from the state
with shipping authorities questioning a number of ships.

"We are questioning a number of ships (that passed
through the area) but will not like to prematurely blame any
of them," a source in the Director General of Shipping told
PTI in Mumbai.

Several ships in the proximity of the reported incident
had been tracked in co-ordination with the Coast Guard and
those prima facie involved in the collision were being
investigated, sources said.

Two fishermen, who ventured to sea from Kollam coast,
were killed and three others reported missing when their boat
collided with an unidentified ship off Alappuzha coast in the
wee hours yesterday.

Coast Guard sources in Kochi said a search was on for the
three missing fishermen. "Certain ships have been
investigated, but nothing conclusive has been found," they
said.

The ill-fated boat had seven fishermen aboard, of whom
two were rescued by other boats and brought to shore.

The Navy and Coast Guard have launched an intense search
to track down the ship which caused the accident since
yesterday.

The two deaths have shocked the fishing community of
Neendakara in Kollam district as it happened within two weeks
after two fishermen were allegedly shot dead by marines
onboard Italian ship `Enrica Lexie`.